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Can persistent illness make you feel depressed?

Posted , 6 users are following.

sam18386
sam18386

Can anyone help please? I have been diagnosed with depression ages ago, i find this worsens when I get persistently ill. Why would this be? Can constant ill health cause you to feel more and more depressed? How do you cope with this?

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • martin66
    martin66 sam18386

    Posted

    Hello Sam, I suffer with constant Urinary tract infections through a Bladder problem i got back in 2009.

    With not working and money problems tied up with being so bored and not using my brain or my body in work i became very depressed but when the infections come i know exactly when they are starting as my depression gets so worse i feel like ending my life. I know this is the infections so i can deal with it now but at first i thought i was going out of my mind. My Consultant explained to me that the brain has a lot of ways of letting us know that we are ill and one is to feel down and tired as well as depressed.Hope this helps.Good luck.

    • ro77360
      ro77360 martin66

      Posted

      I came down with a killer UTI in January and 'am still suffering from what it did to my senior citizen body, mentally and physically.

      After two rounds of antibiotics my body chemistry got a big slam and its hell on earth trying to get it back to normal.

      I'm better than I was but still have that 2 good days, then a slip backward, all of which is very hard mentally.

      Often my sleep is disturbed and I am a wreck with a capital W the next day, literally trembling like a leaf today and terribly depressed.

      Just looking forward to going to bed tonight and catching up on what I lost last night.

    • sam18386
      sam18386 ro77360

      Posted

      poor you that's dreadful! i know what they're like, they make you feel pants. for lack of sleep i suggest lavender massage or in the bath. or gin or chocolate or all of the above. doctors think you recover in days, with ibs you don't. i wish you a good night's sleep and tea in bed.

  • shaun61091
    shaun61091 sam18386

    Posted

    Hi. I know that people with chronic illness can cause depression problems. I'm diabetic and it's very common for people with diabetes to get depressed after diagnosis or after managing the condition for a long time. Constant illness, or having to focus on a particular health issue, can definitely grind someone down after a while.

    • lisa95164
      lisa95164 shaun61091

      Posted

      yes this is so true. I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and having to constantly worry and think about it has made me feel worse in my depression, for sure. i think one has an effect on the other ie mental health can cause worse physical health and illness and physical illness can make mental health worse. i say this because as a result of me being very low, neglecting my body and not eating properly.. I have diabetes

      lisa

    • sam18386
      sam18386 shaun61091

      Posted

      hi shaun, thanks for replying. i thought i was losing my mind! i am glad you've explained this.

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